Solve Electroplating Shielding Issues in Lighting Reflectors for Stable Mass Production

About the Case

Application: Lighting
Product: Outdoor Lighting Fixtures Component: Plastic Reflector
Material: Electroplating-Grade Engineering Plastic
Capabilities: Plastic Injection Molding, Fixture Design, Vacuum / Chemical Electroplating

Why Teamsworld

• Customer Challenges:

  A leading outdoor lighting brand required high-reflectivity plastic reflectors to ensure precise light distribution and consistent illumination performance. The reflectors relied on electroplating to achieve a uniform, mirror-like surface critical to both optical efficiency and product appearance.

  During mass production, however, recurring issues such as incomplete plating and uneven brightness emerged, directly impacting beam consistency, product quality, and overall yield. Despite multiple adjustments to electroplating parameters and bath conditions, the problem persisted, becoming a key barrier to achieving stable, high-volume production.

• Capabilities Leveraged:

  Teamsworld applied a holistic process engineering approach to identify and resolve the electroplating issue beyond surface-level adjustments. Through on-site evaluation and production data analysis, our team traced the root cause to the original four-claw plating fixture, which caused slight deformation of plastic reflectors under prolonged mass production conditions. This deformation partially shielded critical reflective areas, leading to uneven current distribution and inconsistent plating results.

  Leveraging our fixture design and process integration expertise, Teamsworld redesigned the clamping orientation and contact points to reduce mechanical stress while eliminating interference with key reflective surfaces. In parallel, we optimized hanging points and fine-tuned electroplating parameters to ensure coating adhesion, thickness uniformity, and high reflectivity. The solution was fully validated through pilot runs and extended mass production trials, ensuring long-term stability, repeatability, and reliable mass production performance.

• Results:

  The optimized fixture design and electroplating process significantly reduced plating defects, restoring reflector brightness uniformity and optical performance to design specifications. Production yield improved markedly, while rework and process adjustment time were minimized.

  Beyond solving a single manufacturing challenge, this project highlighted Teamsworld’s ability to identify hidden mass production risks and deliver scalable, production-ready solutions. Through a holistic approach to fixture design and process integration, Teamsworld enabled stable, high-quality manufacturing and faster time-to-market for outdoor lighting products.